Tuesday, April 15, 2008

An update on the new rug...and it's an experiment with using my camera and trying to figure out GIMP to modify images. (so far, trying to fiddle with 'level's' and 'histogram' have been an utter bust)

If the sun is out tomorrow, I've got some jewelry to photograph.

For those that are interested, punch hooking is a marvelous way to make one of a kind rugs, and use up those yarn scraps that seem to accumulate everywhere. I use basic acrylic knitting yarns for this one. I think it's easier to run through the washer and dryer, there's no danger of felting with acrylic. It does pill a little, but a beard or sweater trimmer takes care of that nicely.

The technique is simple enough once you've done a few. Depending on your backing it can be really fast, or just fairly fast. I've done rugs on burlap, and that moves very quickly, but I find that burlap just isn't as rugged as I'd like, and can tear out before it's finished. So, this one is on cotton monks cloth. It's rugged, holds the yarn loops nicely, but it can be rough on the wrists and takes a bit longer.

If you're interested in it for yourself, Halcyon Yarns has the tools and supplies. I use the Oxford Plain punch needle for my work.